A Matter of Choice

Sunday 26th August 2012 This photo was taken on Loukas first full day in the world,from the balcony of my hospital room. It would have been about 5.30am and I was awake in the hospital enjoying the coolness and the peace and quiet when I looked out the window and realised the sun was just coming up. I had been initially so worried about giving birth here in Cyprus but by the end of my pregnancy I was confident in the help that my doula Claire would provide (and so ready to not be pregnant anymore!)  Loukas birth had been brilliant, something I never thought I'd say.  Before then I'd been all about the drugs and would never have chosen to have a natural birth in a million years - as I always used to say 'you wouldn't have your appendix out without drugs'  which does seem like a very daft comment now - as its hardly the same thing! I only managed it without, as gas and air is not available here (had it have been I would have been on it without a se...

After the hugely painful but overall brilliant birth of Loukas I was taken back to the ward. It had two beds but at that point I had it all to myself, with TV and free wi-fi plus a great view I was very comfortable. The midwives took Louka for a few hours so I could rest which was most appreciate. They loved this 'big baby' with his head of gorgeous blonde hair, something which must be very unusual for them. They often popped in for no apparent reason during my stay just to see him! I was quite happy in the hospital unlike when I had Leo where I couldn't wait to get out, although this time I was appreciating the time to rest before starting the new chapter of my life with two children.  Aaron came to see me after work and to meet his second son. He stayed just a short while so he could get home relive my parents and put Leo to bed.  My parents then popped in afterwards as I had not felt up to seeing Leo right away, preferring to be able to greet him properl...

You can find  Part 1 here. After checking my blood pressure and monitoring baby's heartbeat I was hooked up to the drip to start the contractions off at 10.30am. It was a low dose to begin with so the contractions started quickly but  were mild and caused me no problems. Claire was great at keeping me moving, something I didn't do at all with Leo. We walked up and down the ward corridor chatting about all kinds of random stuff while I kept tangling myself up with my drip!  She had me bouncing on the birth ball and doing squats, all things I wouldn't have been doing without her encouragement. The midwives were great at letting me keep moving, something they are not generally known for after induction, and they only popped in now and again just to monitor me. I had been told no food or drink, something guaranteed to upset me in any circumstances but Claire smuggled me sips of water, snack-a-jacks and fruit polos every time they turned their backs  - a c...

Loukas is now 6 weeks old and I've finally finished writing my birth story - it's quite long so I've split it into several posts, the rest will be coming up over the next few days. Although I didn't have a terrible birth with Leo it wasn't the best fun I'd ever had (you can read the story here)   12 hours of labour with gas & air, pethidine  ventouse delivery followed by stitches. I felt like I'd been run over by a truck afterwards and was very uncomfortable for weeks. My second birth was very different, It's taken me an age to write but here is my story, I tried (and failed) to keep it short and sweet so will split it into several posts just in case I accidentally break the interweb or something! I was very nervous at first about giving birth again, especially as I was to be doing it here in Cyprus. I'd heard that they don't really 'do' pain relief - no gas and air, no mentions of epidural (although the thought of those make...

Some of the concerns I had about giving birth here in Cyprus were the things I had heard about their eagerness to do caesarean births and the 'whole Doctor knows best attitude with no discussion available. Since hearing from many women it seems that this is not always the case, but can happen, as this story from Veronica shows,  my last post in the 'Birth in Cyprus' series ..... I am a foreigner like you and had very similar concerns to yourself about giving birth in Cyprus not so long ago; I thought I will share my experience.  I gave birth to 2 children (they are 2 and 4 now), at the same private clinic (Maternity center in Nicosia ). Both were natural, though my husband and I went through quite some trouble looking for a doctor who would agree with an idea of natural birth. In fact, the very first doctor we've met was insisting on a caesarean. I did have some complications in my pregnancy, but after a thorough research we found that cesarea...

My latest birth story I have to share with you is from a lady who has twice given birth in the Makario General hospital in Nicosia. Here are her answers to my questions..... How much did it cost? - € 80-100 but my husband is considered a government employee and has a card for the hospital. Cost also depends on the number of days and room you have. What was the antenatal care like? Good but read below about patience! You also just need to ask ask ask questions! Sometimes I missed the one on one with my first doctor at her clinic but it was still worth it. What do you wish you had known about having a baby here beforehand? -A lot of colleagues/friends passed on info which was great! - I went to the breastfeeding seminars which was extremely useful and informative. I also got mastitis after my 2 baby and they still offered help and support! -Mothercare gives good discounts until baby is 1 year old and most things are good quality! I live their all in ones! -Daycares/nur...

This week's birth story comes from a Romanian lady who gave birth this year in the General hospital in Limassol. She was initially nervous about this decision as her friends were advising her to go Private.  I am pleased to say that yet again I'm sharing a story of someone who was happy overall with the care in the General hospital. Here is her story.... Two months ago I had my first baby. I gave birth in Limassol, in the Municipal Hospital . I was so pleased with the antenatal care and also with the help I got during labor and after birth that I've decided to write my story. So...since I found out I was pregnant I decided to go for my routine check-ups in the hospital. All the tests, ultrasounds, etc are free of charge and the help of midwives through the whole pregnancy is essential. Yes, is true that you are waiting many hours, but I was happy to find easily someone to trust, to ask anything it cross my mind and t...

It's hard to believe that Loukas is over 2 weeks old already! The time has passed so fast despite the lack of sleep and huge change of routine.  I've not been online as much as usual as I've been quite a bit busy so although it's quite high on my list of things to do, writing my birth story hasn't been something I've felt up to doing yet. Fortunately,  I received an email from Claire, my Doula who very kindly wrote the story as she saw it, and sent me some lovely photos from the day. I'll still be writing my own story but I really enjoyed reading this so wanted to share it here too. "Emmas and Loukas Birth Story, through the eyes of their doula…" On Friday night I prepared my doula bag, took out the clothes I would wear for the next day and set my alarm. Usually a doula doesn’t have much notice when she is heading out to a birth but this one was different, you were scheduled for an induction on Saturday the 25 th August 2012 at 9am . ...

Most of the birth stories I have received so far have been at the General hospital,  although all have been positive the private clinics for those who wish to use them and can afford them are not all bad! This is Rebecca's story, she is due to have her second baby here in Cyprus and like her first birth is planning to use the private clinic again..... I'm Rebecca, I'm 24 years old and married to a Cypriot man of whom I had a little boy with last June. I started by going to the General hospital in Paphos but after 7 months being herded into a room with about 60 pregnant women all waiting to see the same doctor who couldn't speak or understand much English, waiting hours on end in stuffy claustrophobic circumstances I decided to go to a private clinic. It was then I started seeing Dr Kontos at the Iasis Clinic. What a breath of fresh air it was to have someone speak to you in fluent English and make time to hear exactly what you have to say. Each appoi...

Today I am sharing Lisa's story with you,   Lisa had her first baby here in Cyprus in the General hospital in Larnaca after being told it was very unlikely that she would be able to have a baby. I'll hand you over.... I wanted to share my experience with you as it was excellent and a wonderful experience. I am British and have lived in Cyprus for 6 years. Firstly I want to tell you that in UK they told me it was very unlikely that I would ever have a child due to having poly cystic ovarian syndrome, and they never offered any help or advice. Here I went to Larnaca general hospital and my first appointment was with a specialist and was within a month of making the appointment. They were never negative like in the UK and for the first time in years I had hope. So here are my comments for you.     Did you have your baby in a private clinic or in the general hospital? – Larnaca general How much did it cost ? – Nothing as I have a medical card Wo...

As a resident of Cyprus I recently discovered that we are entitled to claim a Maternity Grant.   To be eligible the mother or father must have worked in Cyprus and they may contact your previous EU country of residence for details of social insurance payments made there. In addition to this one off payment, women may be able to claim Maternity allowance if they have worked in Cyprus and fulfil the criteria for the payments, they may take into account payments made into social (national) insurance in a previous EU country of residence.   As I haven't worked in Cyprus, obviously I am not entitled to Maternity pay, in the same way I wouldn't if I was still in England  having not restarted employment after having Leo.  Maternity payments are made for 18 weeks here and you can claim a further four months unpaid leave. It was very straight forward to apply for the grant, which to be honest was slightly surprising having dealt with official pape...

Officially 38 weeks now, and giving up on the fact I thought I had my dates wrong as it doesn't really matter any more, it just means I'm more likely to get this baby out whilst avoiding induction as they only let you go 7 days over here.  (Leo was 15 days overdue when they took me in). Yesterday was my latest hospital appointment, it was surprisingly one of the quickest so far. They did the usual wee sample test and blood pressure and a (very quick!) ultrasound, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't see the screen as the nurse was standing in the way but it was over in just a few seconds anyway, just long enough for them to hear the heartbeat I think. Only once here have they used a doppler to check the heartbeat, unlike in the UK I've had I think 5 or 6 scans in total. That seems to be the way they check for the heartbeat. In the UK the midwife used a doppler each time but I would see her in the local health centre rather than the hospital where...

Since I've been pregnant and telling people I am having a doula this time round I've been asked time and time again what one is, especially by Cypriots who have mostly never heard of them.  I decided the best person to explain is the lovely lady herself so I invited her to explain, and share her story of how she decided to become one..... My name is Claire, I’m a mother of 2 and a Doula… "A what???" Yes I get that all the time, A doula supports a woman and her partner during pregnancy, birth, and the early weeks of parenting, with reassurance, practical assistance, and information. A doula is someone you come to know well by the time of your birth, and who is there during your labor, by your side, focused solely on you and your partner. She can encourage you, remain objective, and help your partner feel more confident about how to support you. She can also assist you with practical knowledge on comfort measures for labor, such as massage and suggestions for p...

36 weeks already!  (or maybe 38!) Even though the first trimester of the pregnancy seems a lifetime ago and the last few weeks have been quite hard work in the heat I still can't believe that very soon there will be a actual baby here!   I've had an easy pregnancy, despite the moany outbursts I've had  and I've had a lot of help from my parents too. I was worried in the beginning about having a baby here in Cyprus, nervous about the whole thing from antenatal appointments and especially about giving birth.  I was worried about what to do and where to go and had heard (often 2nd or 3rd hand)  many things that didn't help  - for example how they have no pain relief (they don't have gas and air but it's not that they don't have ANY)  how they are very quick to give caesareans when they might not always be needed, to name just a couple. So many people have their babies privately here and that was a concern as well, I wondered why this was the ...